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Indiana University, American Library Association Student Chapter General meeting, April 29, 2008 3pm, L001 Attendance: President: Stacey Costabile Vice President: Virginia Vought (not present) Activities Chair: Sarah Morrison Secretary: Rebekah Kati Treasurer: Janet Anderson Webmaster: Eyad Makki (not Present) Advisors: Mary Popp Tom Nisonger (not present)
Officer Reports: - End of the Year party at Yogis
- online marketing webinar
- May 8, 2008
- 2-3:30pm in room E174
- Focused on public libraries
- Will also be the May General Meeting
Guest speakers - “Please Interrupt Me: Tales From the Reference Desk” - Steve Backs – Monroe County Public Library, head of adult and teen services
- Started in academic libraries at North Carolina State University
- Learned very quickly how to deal with questions that come out of nowhere
- Librarians need to be able to be fluent in all types of information
- Knowledge is cumulative
- Reference librarians need to be interested in chasing information
- Differences between libraries in the past and libraries now
- Information that used to be mailed or handed to people is now online
- Public libraries are now the go to place for these documents
- Changing role of libraries
- Students want more features than just database access on their public library computers
- People who are not the traditional user base are using the computers and coming into the library
- Computers are not just information tools
- Print collection is shrinking
- Affects how librarians interact with people
- less reference questions but more of other types of questions (i.e. directional questions)
- focus on customer service
- Need to manage the public more as a public librarian
- Academic library patrons are affiliated with the university and are subject to academic library rules
- Have different populations and audience
- Public libraries now have the opportunity to focus on local community resources
- Digitization projects, readers advisory etc.
- Useful skills for reference librarians
- go wait tables or get a job that allows you to be pulled in different directions at once, but still maintain sunny disposition
- recognize that library should be set up in such a way that it works for everyone
- Accept that finding things is a skill that you can learn
- Pick your job well – look at community that you’re going to serve
- Need to treat your co workers well, find a place that you fit in and where you like the work
- Try to see if the staff seems happy, if stacks are messy or neat
- Using Google is OK, because librarians can pick out the information that you need very quickly
- Best part – get to read fiction as part of job
- Library could do more to market its self, but some people aren’t library users and will never think to go to the library for the information
- Difficult to market reference services, but can market to certain demographics
- Academic libraries do well when they work with faculty
- Emily Okada-Information Commons, Indiana University
- Had no experience in a library when she started
- Become good at improvising
- reference questions are not being asked as much as directional questions
- many reference questions are being asked at the reference desk in the East Tower, rather than at the IC
- Librarians feel that they need to have desk time to do other duties (buying books, etc)
- Library users are going to be there because they have not be, not because they want to be
- Differences between libraries in the past and libraries now
- Used books for reference
- Read a lot of newspapers and magazines as a job requirement
- Everyone had to read collection development tools
- Now: reference is more of a process, not so much about the tools
- Now: expectations of patrons have changed – need to be able to give them an answer right away
- Basics of being a reference librarian
- Communication
- reference interview
- listening real closely
- Reference is not a test or a competition
- Characteristics of good reference librarians
- focused on the patron
- look at problems from a different perspective
- Can recognize that information is everywhere, not just in books
- Can realize that everything is interesting
- Need to tell people that they can come back if they don’t get what they need
- Need to identify what information patrons need and how to give it to them
- Need to give yourself a chance
- be aware of the surroundings and the community
- Be respectful of your co workers and be aware of the politics of your workplace
- Be involved in things, keep your options open
- Keep reading the professional literature
- Library does some marketing, but it is difficult to market
- Goal is to make the library seem like a welcoming place
- Lisa Raymond-Walden University (online reference)
- Background on Walden:
- Full accredited online university that offers PhD & Masters degrees
- Fields of study – education, public policy, nursing, management, social work
- 31,000 students
- Mostly non traditional students – 40, female, full time job, taking classes at night
- Walden Library Reference Service:
- Do normal reference stuff
- 40% finding full text articles
- 35% research questions, usually for a dissertation
- 89% of questions are email, 11% are phone
- Lots of library instruction
- Do a lot of hand holding because students aren’t familiar with computers
- Library is one place at university where people can come to get help without feeling overwhelmed
- Give patrons what they need as quickly as possible
- Customer service is very important – can teach everyone how to do reference, but librarians need to be able to deal with the public
- Try to put themselves in your students shoes – they’re new, it’s not because they’re stupid
- Librarians don’t always know what people need for their papers – send them something to get them started and usually that will help
- Differences – reference interview not as emphasized, since it is over email and student questions are very vague
- Need to think of most important aspects because students won’t read a long email
- May take a long time to figure out what the students need
- Librarians need to be able to write really clear instructions, that won’t insult people who know what they’re doing
- Library could do more to market themselves
- Goal is to see why people don’t use the library
- flexibility of mind is very important
- Librarians need to be able to look at a search from many different angles
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